Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

This wasn't the first time Zhang Qilin had seen Shen Mingchao cry, but this time, his heart felt heavy and suffocated, as if stuffed with cotton.

He reached out and handed over the tissue.

But the next second, Shen Mingchao suddenly took a step back, clearly refusing.

This time, it was her turn to avoid him.

Zhang Qiyu's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He looked down at the ground, where the cotton ball was soaked in water and felt a chilling pain.

He wasn't usually a person with strong emotional fluctuations.

After emerging from the bronze gate, he could clearly feel the subtle changes within himself, which he had initially mistaken for pity.

Now it seems that it was more than just pity.

This change felt unfamiliar to him, yet he didn't reject it.

Regardless of whether those images had any influence, or even if they did, so what? Things have changed, and that's that.

This change was a source of distress for her, and it was something he should be dealing with on his own.

He never intended to involve Shen Mingchao.

But now that she knows, and is still so upset, he has to step forward and take responsibility for the crime of concealing it, both morally and logically.

"The Ming Dynasty, this is my fault."

Shen Mingchao was taken aback by these words, tears still glistening in his eyes: "What do you mean by this?"

"Initially, I was the one who told them not to tell you."

Especially when the number of people involved in the mess far exceeded his expectations, he became even more unwilling to let these chaotic people and things get involved with her.

Zhang Qilin met Shen Mingchao's gaze directly, his tone becoming somewhat hoarse, "If you don't know, you'll have less trouble."

Please, this is hardly a matter of less trouble!

Shen Mingchao wiped away his tears and retorted sharply, "I have the right to know about this! If I had known earlier, I would have left long ago! I would never have let it develop to this point! Are you planning to keep it from me forever?"

Faced with Shen Mingchao's questioning, Zhang Qilan remained silent for a moment before truthfully replying, "We originally planned to tell you after the college entrance examination."

This was a consensus they reached privately, after all, it hadn't been more than a few months.

But they ultimately miscalculated.

The girl who was all smiles and calling him her idol just the day before now glared at him with eyes full of disappointment overnight.

"Feel sorry……"

This statement is pale and powerless.

Now, even he himself can't say for sure whether he did this out of self-protection or to hide some dishonorable selfish motives that he himself dares not delve into.

Apologies, apologies again!

Shen Mingchao forced a smile, feeling that the group of people in front of him suddenly seemed frighteningly unfamiliar.

Right.

She overestimated herself and underestimated them.

The Nine Gates and the Zhang family are both genuine tomb raiders, people who have been living in the underworld for many years. How could they be any good people?

What good is sincerity?

In the eyes of these people, sincerity is probably worthless.

She was so naive to think that she could get along well with them; it was ridiculous.

Just then.

Suddenly, I heard a few soft sobs beside my ear.

Shen Mingchao subconsciously turned his head to look.

Li Chu was seen kneeling on the ground, his head drooping dejectedly.

The usually arrogant and unruly boy now had tears streaming down his flushed cheeks, his hair disheveled, and he looked utterly wretched.

She had never seen Li Chu look like this before.

I never imagined that Li Chu would be driven to this extent.

The moment her gaze fell upon that dampness, a sudden emptiness filled her heart.

Now that things have come to this, even if we figure out all the causes and consequences, right and wrong, it won't make any difference.

There's no going back in this world, and no time machine. What's done is done.

All she could do was—

Let's stop here.

Strangely enough, as soon as I said those words, the knot of anger that had been stuck in my chest for so long suddenly dissipated.

Shen Mingchao's gaze fell into the void, his expression calm to the point of indifference, each word clear and distinct:

"Our meeting was a mistake from the very beginning. Let's end it here and stop entangled in this error. I don't want to blame anyone anymore; it's too exhausting."

I'm tired.

"So, that's settled then."

After saying this, she didn't look at anyone else, turned around and walked straight into the house.

The door was slammed shut.

"Bang—"

A dull, loud bang shattered the stillness in the room.

The remaining people in the room were in various postures and with different expressions.

Some people have a deathly pale face, seemingly breathing, but their eyes are actually empty and unfocused; their souls have long since flown away.

Some people didn't even notice when the cigarette between their fingers burned out and the ash fell onto their hands.

Someone looked like the sky had fallen, repeatedly muttering, "It's over...it's all over..."

Some people can't sit still. They're obsessed with finding out who the undercover agent is, and they don't know how to keep their mouths shut. They spout nonsense and attack indiscriminately, and soon they're arguing with others.

Some people arrive late, and upon learning what happened, they are struck dumb, as if by lightning, and their lives are forever shattered.

There were also people huddled in corners, obsessively calculating fortunes, fidgeting, biting their lips, and pressing their heads against the wall, contemplating life...

In short, it was a chaotic mess, a true reflection of all aspects of human life.

This farce ended when the tightly closed door was pushed open again.

The room fell completely silent in an instant.

Inside the door, Shen Mingchao carried a suitcase in one hand and a cat carrier in the other. His aura was terrifyingly low, and his face was so gloomy it could drip water.

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat upon seeing this.

That phrase, "That's the end of it," wasn't just empty talk.

Li Chu was so shocked that he was still kneeling on the ground even after so long. When Su Wan and the others came to help him up, he dodged to the side.

Su Wan frowned and advised, "Yali, even if you kneel, it won't solve anything. Your leg already has an old injury, so why don't you get up first?"

"Leave me alone..."

Li Chu was extremely stubborn.

"Sigh, whatever, let him do whatever he wants." Yang Hao stepped forward and patted Su Wan's arm.

At that moment, Li Chu looked around and took in everyone's ugly behavior. He could only think, "They deserve it."

They deserved it.

At this moment, Li Cu looked up at Shen Mingchao, his heart aching beyond measure.

As the two passed each other, he almost instinctively reached out and grabbed Shen Mingchao's sleeve.

"Don't go..."

"Little sister, I was wrong, I was really wrong..."

"Please don't leave me. You can hit me, scold me, punish me however you want, just don't abandon me, please... Mingchao, don't abandon me."

The boy's voice was choked with sobs, humble to the point of being in the dust, a plea that was almost desperate.

Shen Mingchao closed his eyes briefly, concealing the complex emotions that flashed across his eyes.

Without the slightest hesitation, he coldly pulled off his sleeve and walked outside.

But at this very moment,

An annoying guy came up to us.